The EuroHPC Federation Platform and organisations such as OpenAI and Anthropic operate at a different scale of investment and pursue distinct missions and objectives; consequently, they are not directly competitive.

EuroHPC Federation Platform core services are externally exposed, although not all capabilities are currently available through public APIs. Moving forward, the objective of the Simpl-Open features is to aim to align the roadmaps of Simpl and EFP so that the necessary services can be refactored and exposed in a way that enables seamless integration between EFP and Simpl‑Open.

The EuroHPC Federation Platform is designed to support both Europe’s global competitiveness and its resilience. By enabling the development and access to AI-focused services within Europe, it strengthens Europe’s capacity to innovate and compete internationally. At the same time, it reinforces technological sovereignty by ensuring that critical computing and AI capabilities remain accessible, reliable, and governed within the European framework.

Yes, the EU’s “Data Labs” concept is positioned as a bridge between data ecosystems and AI development (pooling/curation/labeling and services that make data usable for AI), with early Data Labs being established under the AI Factories umbrella. In this context, the EuroHPC Federation Platform provides the federated access layer, ensuring streamlined, secure, and coordinated access to distributed EuroHPC computing infrastructures and services, thereby enabling the effective integration of data, compute, and AI capabilities across sites. 

BE-AIFA is described as a Belgian AI Factory Antenna (not one of the main AI Factory sites). Many maps highlight only the “core” factories and may omit antennas or show them separately.

The DOME Marketplace ecosystem is already in production, and its vetting process is already active,with different levels of compliance At entry level, providers may onboard through self-certification by submitting core information, including company identity, service description, and a self-assessment of compliance.

Providers holding recognised third-party certifications may upload them for validation, thereby increasing their trust level within the marketplace. This multi-tier compliance model, similar to approaches adopted in ecosystems such as Gaia-X, facilitates accessible entry for smaller providers while enabling those with stronger certifications to clearly demonstrate enhanced assurance.

All trust and compliance levels are displayed transparently on each service profile and can be used as filters when browsing the marketplace.

When Simpl-Open provides the capability of using DOME Marketplace ecosystem, each governance authority that's using Simpl-Open can directly and independently decide upon the potential integration (onboarding) with Dome Marketplace ecosystem. Simpl-Open makes it "technically" possible to benefit from the integration.
DOME Marketplace ecosystem was designed as a federative environment that can interconnect with other ecosystems to build a shared catalogue. In this context, DOME and Simpl support each other: Simpl strengthens the ecosystem side, while DOME Marketplace ecosystem provides the commercialisation layer. The objective is to equip data spaces with practical tools, particularly to support commercialisation and the development of sustainable business models. As highlighted in the policy discussions, this is a critical next step for data spaces. Therefore, the collaboration goes beyond technical interoperability and acts as a concrete enabler of long-term sustainability. 

Yes, the DOME Marketplace is open-source and can be freely deployed to implement new marketplace platforms that are natively integrated with the DOME ecosystem. This enables organisations to establish their own customised instances where needed. The DOME source code is publicly available on GitHub. Alternatively, providers who do not wish to operate a separate marketplace can simply publish their offerings directly on the DOME Marketplace. 

DOME Marketplace ecosystem is a federated catalogue designed primarily to enable transactional and commercial activities. Its core focus is on facilitating the discovery, onboarding, and sale of services, rather than directly delivering or technically operating those services.
The orchestration, deployment, and operational management of capabilities are handled by other platforms/products such as Simpl-Open which provide the technical framework and runtime environment. In essence, DOME Marketplace ecosystem concentrates on the commercialisation layer, while complementary infrastructures manage the execution and integration aspects.

When Simpl-Open refers to “standardised” pre-built AI-driven services, it does not refer to formal standards issued by standardisation bodies. Rather, Simpl-Open uses the term in a practical sense: these are commonly available, horizontal AI service categories such as generic models or capabilities that are widely used across sectors.

The identification of which services to prioritise is driven by demand. Simpl-Open engages directly with data spaces, including Simpl-Live Wave I and Wave II participants, to understand their concrete needs. Through this interaction, we determine which categories of AI services are most relevant and valuable across different data spaces.

Simpl‑Labs is a playground environment where users can create, manage and test the capabilities of data spaces powered by Simpl-Open. This playground environment is under development and will be open for partners, pilot projects, and contributors who need playground to understand and try the capabilities offered by SImpl-Open.

No, an organisation does not need to be a contractor of the European Commission to develop extensions for Simpl-Open. Simpl-Open is designed as an open-source, community-driven ecosystem, and contributions from any interested organisation are welcome. [Contribution Guidelines - https://simpl-programme.ec.europa.eu/book-page/simpl-open-contribution-…]
As for the creation of an “app store” for extensions, this is not currently planned. However, it is an idea that could be explored further as the ecosystem evolves and community needs become higher.

The long-term sustainability of Simpl-Open is precisely why it has been developed as an open-source initiative. 
Its purpose is to cultivate a strong and engaged community of stakeholders who recognise the framework’s value and are therefore committed to maintaining and evolving it over time.
Organisations that adopt and benefit from Simpl-Open are encouraged to actively contribute to its continued development, ensuring its longevity beyond the scope of initial public funding.

Input from EC required. 

By means of Simpl-Live, the European Comission is currently providing incentives to enable the adoption of Simpl-Open for the Common European Data Spaces. The Commission’s strategy is to make Simpl open‑source and designed to accelerate interoperability; and the usage of Simpl-Open is also supported by the reusability principles of legislation like the Interoperable Europe Act.

The market is expected to adopt Simpl-Open due to the availability of open-source, ready to use components that can significantly reduce the cost and effort of building or integrating a data space. Adoption is therefore anticipated to be driven by demonstrated value and opportunity rather than by obligation

Simpl exists because many Common European Data Spaces share the same core technical needs, such as secure data exchange, identity management, and interoperability.
Simpl-Open provides a common middleware framework that can be reused across CEDS. The goal is to avoid duplication, reduce costs, and ensure more efficient use of public funds while enabling consistent interoperability across ecosystems. Avoiding the segregation of services and technologies that could happen if each data space develop these foundational components separately. 

Simpl-Open is intended precisely to consolidate and maximise the value of previous investments by improving interoperability and reducing fragmentation. As an open-source initiative, it is designed to progressively strengthen community ownership, limit long-term dependency on public funding, and support a more coherent and financially sustainable European data space ecosystem.

DOME Marketplace Ecosystem enables access to the marketplace is based on eIDAS-compliant digital identities, used through a wallet-based approach. This is being implemented as the default login mechanism.
The EuroHPC Federation Platform is working to ensure seamless participation and access for private sector users. To support this, the solution is built around MyAccessID, which leverages trusted identity providers such as eduGAIN, eIDAS-compliant identities (with its different implementation layers), and wallet.